Second Soul Skill: Fear Boiling!
This was Huo Yutong's true second Soul Skill.
It came from a Fear Demon Dragon with 3,000 years of cultivation!
After returning to the Star Dou Great Forest from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Di Tian had personally taken her to the Fear Demon Dragons' territory for her second soul ring.
The moment they heard they could become part of the Dragon King's strength, the entire Fear Demon Dragon clan had practically boiled over with excitement, each one rushing forward for the newly born Ice Dragon King to inspect.
For these lesser dragons, this was the highest of honors!
Even the Fear Demon Dragon clan's king had originally wanted to volunteer personally. Unfortunately, his cultivation was insufficient. At only 80,000 years, he fell far short of the requirements for a sacrifice and could only bow out in disappointment.
This Soul Skill's function was actually quite simple.
At its core, it did just one thing: manipulate fear!
It could be used on an enemy or on herself.
Used on an enemy, it could instantly stir up a torrent of fear, creating a "fear deterrent" that forcibly immobilized the target.
Used on herself, it precisely controlled an appropriate amount of fear to stimulate her mind and amplify her mental abilities!
While Fear Boiling was active, her mental control precision increased by 30%, her spiritual power strength increased by 30%, and her spiritual power quality increased by 15%!
Moreover, she became immune to all intimidation effects transmitted through spiritual power!
Scenes she feared flashed through her mind frame by frame, and that faint sense of fear made Huo Yutong even calmer.
Her Spirit Eyes, wreathed in a mist of dim violet light, took in the two tightly embracing silhouettes.
Fear Boiling + Dragon Might + Soul Shock!!
Huo Yutong's eyes instantly became sharp, icy-white vertical pupils. Spiritual power bearing the oppressive might of an ancient beast transformed into an invisible, transparent cannonball and blasted outward!
The hair that had tightly bound Wang Dong'er and was still spreading forward froze in place as though someone had pressed pause.
Then that all-encompassing net, stretching from heaven to earth, actually receded as swiftly as waves at low tide.
Thud! ×3
Three bodies hit the ground.
Wang Dong'er rubbed her shoulder and wrist joints, gulping down air as she loosened her muscles.
A trace of fear still lingered in her eyes.
As for why she was afraid...
Folks, just take a look at the Lan sisters lying in front of her, their fate unknown.
Two of those three thuds had come from the sisters collapsing.
That terrifying pulse just now had been felt not only by her, standing so close, but even by Xiao Xiao and Huang Chutian on the other side of the arena.
As Soul Masters, their keen senses told them that it was a potentially lethal threat!
"Freshman Class One, Huo Yutong's team wins!"
Wang Yan's expression changed as well.
After swiftly announcing the winners, he hurried over to the sisters, Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu.
The students might not have known what that was, but how could he, a teacher, not know?
It had been an impact formed from downright terrifying spiritual power!
Judging by the force he had sensed, it was simply not something the Lan sisters could withstand.
Huo Yutong hadn't actually killed them, had she?
Feeling a touch of disbelief, Wang Yan examined their injuries.
Soon, however, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"They're fine. They've only passed out. They might have mild concussions, but their lives aren't in danger."
Only after hearing this did the others gathered around breathe sighs of relief.
That went for both their teammate Huang Chutian and their opponents, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao.
As long as they were all right.
Wang Dong'er patted her chest.
Even as their opponent, she didn't want two fellow students to die so abruptly in an assessment match.
Otherwise, Huo Yutong, who had struck the blow, would become a murderer.
"I knew exactly how much force to use. Don't worry."
Only then did Huo Yutong, who had deliberately hung back, slowly walk over.
El had told her that when something might cause a misunderstanding, it was best to wait until matters were more or less cleared up before stepping forward herself.
Otherwise, a violent clash might break out and lead to serious consequences.
"It's only an assessment. No matter how savage I might be, I wouldn't take their lives, would I?"
A hint of helplessness appeared on Huo Yutong's face.
To keep her enormous spiritual power from blowing her classmates' heads apart, Huo Yutong had even deliberately used Fear Boiling, relying on its 30% boost to mental control to reduce her output as much as possible.
Since she had yet to fully master such immense spiritual power, she couldn't possibly use Soul Shock directly on her classmates.
Otherwise, these students, who averaged only two or three rings, really would die from a single glare.
"Hehe..."
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong'er answered her with rather sheepish smiles.
Only after Wang Yan and the medical teacher who had rushed over repeatedly confirmed that the two injured girls' lives weren't in danger did Huo Yutong's trio leave the examination grounds, with Huang Chutian staring at them as though they were monsters.
Over the next few days, not a single team in the entire round-robin tournament managed to put even the slightest pressure on them.
At the end of the three days, Huo Yutong's team's results were fresh off the press.
Ten matches, ten victories!
What's more, they finished every match cleanly and decisively, coordinating with exceptional chemistry. They were arguably the best team there.
His Majesty the Radiant Dragon King's verdict was:
"Yu Tong took MVP. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were just dogs carried to victory!"
"Who are you calling dogs carried to victory?!"
Three days later, after finishing the round of sixteen in the knockout tournament, Wang Dong'er grabbed the collar of El, who had wandered over to the assessment area, and shook him relentlessly, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"I was clearly the main force, all right?! The main force!"
"But with Yu Tong's strength, she could win even if she took two dogs along—mmph."
Before he could finish, a cool little hand covered El's mouth.
"El's just joking. I only played a support role. How could my contribution to the matches possibly compare to Wang Dong's and Xiao Xiao's?"
"We made it to the quarterfinals entirely thanks to Wang Dong's and Xiao Xiao's hard work!"
Huo Yutong popped out from behind El just in time to prevent another round of snapping and snarling between him and Wang Dong'er.
Their team had been lucky. They had never drawn any of the three teams with a Soul Elder.
Otherwise, Huo Yutong might have had to reveal her true nature as a heavy truck.
Of course, those three teams hadn't been matched against one another either.
"Shrek's excellent matchmaking system."
El sighed in admiration.
Now, the only students left in the entire assessment area were the eight teams on the platform, along with El, who had appeared at some unknown point.
Excellent, my ass!
Apart from Huo Yutong's team, everyone felt as though the sky had fallen when they saw El there.
What the fuck are you doing here?!
Dean Yan, hurry up and kick this monster out! He's not even remotely on the same level as us!
Hope flickering in their eyes, quite a few students cast pleading looks toward Yan Shaozhe.
They desperately hoped El had simply come to the assessment area for fun.
Even if that hope was rather slim, given that other students weren't allowed into the assessment area to watch.
"All right, come draw your lots."
As though he hadn't noticed their pleading looks, Yan Shaozhe took out the drawing bucket and began having the teams draw lots, just as he had over the past few days.
"Looks like El really is only here to watch?"
Lu Renjia, who had scraped into the quarterfinals by luck, spoke softly upon seeing this.
Hearing his words, the others also breathed heartfelt sighs of relief.
After all, El was still standing where he was, showing no intention of going up to draw a lot.
That meant he probably wouldn't be competing against them.
Right...?
"Huh?"
Only after the drawing was finished did everyone realize that this round's lots seemed a little different.
Previously, the lots they drew had numbers on them, and teams with matching numbers competed against each other.
This time, however, there were no numbers.
All the balls were solid orange.
"Why are all your lots orange?"
A team from Freshman Class Five raised the scarlet ball in their hands and asked curiously.
"Congratulations, young student. You've hit the jackpot!"
Yan Shaozhe spoke with a cheerful smile.
"Jackpot?"
All three members of the team that had drawn the red lot froze at his words.
Before you continue